Chapter 10
Chapter 10

            Christian and Diana hardly moved during the night.  Diana awoke in the same position she fell asleep in, with Christian's arms wrapped around her and with her head and hand on his chest.  She was so relaxed just listening to the sound of his breathing as he slept.  Diana so wanted to just stay there forever but she knew she couldn't, at least not today.  She hated to this but she reluctantly left his bed.  Diana managed to slide herself out of Christian's grasp.  She was forced to do it slowly so she wouldn't wake him.  Christian stirred slightly but simply rolled over and fell back into deep sleep.

            Diana went into the bathroom and lounged in a long, hot bath.  She still didn't want to leave this state of fulfillment.  "Damn it, Diana!  You have to snap back into reality already!" she thought to herself.  "Or not.  The Moulin Rouge is a place of fantasies. Why not have my own fun?"  Diana was creating… or plotting for a better word… her plans for tonight.  She had only one thing to really work out… getting Christian to cooperate.

            As she got dressed, thousands of ideas made chaos in her mind.  She couldn't decide between several schemes until one hit her like a bolt of lightning.  "I'll make it a surprise.  I just hope I don't scare the hell out of him."  Diana couldn't help but laugh to herself.

            She walked back into the bedroom where Christian was still asleep.  He looked so sweet and peaceful and she hated to wake him up, especially since how horrible he's felt lately, but she had to tell him she had to go to work.  Diana sat down on the bed very close to her sleeping love. 

            "Christian, wake up my love." She whispered in his ear as she stroked his hair.  Christian stirred slightly but really didn't wake up until she kissed him.  He opened his eyes and smiled at her.  He rather liked being woken up like this instead of nightmares and sick feelings in his stomach. 

            "I have to prepare for tonight darling.  I have to go back to the Moulin Rouge."  Diana saw Christian's expression change; he wasn't happy about this.

            "Why now?" Christian asked as he struggled to sit up.

            "I have a surprise for you tonight and I need time to set it up."

            Christian agreed reluctantly.  He didn't want to have to give her up so early in the day.

            "Be at the Moulin Rouge tonight at 8.  I love you." Diana said as she kissed him goodbye and left.

            Christian was now alone again in his apartment.  As he sat in bed, halfway between asleep and awake, his mind started to wander.  He thought about the previous night, Diana, writing, and Satine.  One thing really stuck in his mind though, he and Diana didn't have to hide.  He could stand atop the Eiffel Tower and proclaim his love for her to the world if he so chose.  But Satine kept jumping back into his thoughts.  Christian knew he would never give up even one moment that he spent with Satine, but they always had to hide.  Everything was secret.  The Argentinean's words kept ringing in his head – "Never fall in love with a woman who sells herself."

            But why should he give up the chance to live and love again?  Should he live alone for the rest of his life with only memories?  Diana was different.  She wasn't a courtesan.  No one owned her.  She was free to do whatever she chose.  She moved on to love again when her heart was broken by tragedy.  Why couldn't he?

            "NO!  I'm not going to drive myself mad over this.  Satine will always have a place in my heart but Diana is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." Christian thought aloud. 

            For the first time in a long while, since Satine died, Christian felt ready to face the world again.  He got himself up and dressed and walked out onto the streets of Montmartre.  The first thing that caught his eye was a flower stand.  He bought a dozen of their reddest roses for Diana, for tonight.  He then had to venture into Paris, for Montmartre didn't have what he was looking for.  He returned to his apartment a few hours later and started to work.

           

            Toulouse, recovering from yet another absinthe-induced hangover, awoke in the late morning hours to an incessant tapping.  He thought it sounded like the typewriter keys but assumed it was impossible; Christian didn't want to write now.  Toulouse peered into Christian's room to see him hard at work, his fingers flying over the keys.  To Toulouse, this didn't seem like the same man who has been around for the past weeks.  This was the Christian he knew before; the one who was so inspired to write Spectacular, Spectacular.

            "Chwistian, what are you doing?"

            "I'm writing a new play for the Moulin Rouge.  Diana mentioned she wanted one."

            "She inspiwred you that much?"

            "I got about a million ideas at once and I had to get them down."

            "What's it about?"

            "A gypsy."

            Toulouse got very excited at this notion.  He wanted to get to work on rehearsals right away.

            "You have to wait Toulouse.  Diana gets it first."

            Toulouse retreated back into his attic; wondering about this new show and listening to Christian continuously tap away on the keys.